In Georgia, there are 600,000 unregistered AA voters

[Thrill]

Folks in Georgia. Get to work on getting folks registered. We can take this state

[Stephanie]

1. I heard that on McLaughlin Group today!

I am ready to schedule a trip! Yes We CAN register 600,000 new voters!

[Zynx]

2. What's the deadline for registration? In a lot of states in is fairly early.

[Zynx]

3. Answered my own question: October 6th.

Let's get it done!

[EffieBlack]

27. But do it early!

To make sure that voters have time to clear up any problems with registration before the deadline!

[waldnorm]

4. If I Remember Correctly

You'd also need to encourage them to get state picture ID's too, not just register--so they can vote on election day (isn't Georgia the main state that has that stupid law, and that it's been upheld)?

[ebdarcy]

7. I don't know about Georgia, but Ohio has that law.

I know other states have it, and I'm afraid that it's a technicality that may get overlooked. I saw Michele Obama speak in Columbus before the Ohio primary. While there was much encouragement to vote, the need for an ID was only spoken of once. It is one of my great fears that first-time voters are going to get screwed in this election.

[IndyOp]

11. Indiana is the state with the worst version of the Photo I.D. law & it's been upheld

in the courts. I looked up the Georgia Voter ID law and found that it is more flexible than the Indiana law in that it allows for a photo ID issued by an employer or by any other state -- the Indiana law requires that the photo ID must be issued by the State of Indiana or by the Federal Government (and there are additional restrictions about expiration dates, etcetera). :(

Information about Georgia's photo ID law from the Georgia Secretary of State's website:

Voting on Election Day

When you arrive at your polling place, you will complete a voter's certificate which asks for your name and residence address. You will then present the certificate and proper identification to the poll officials who will verify that you are a registered voter in that precinct by checking the voters list for that precinct. Voters are required to present identification at their polling place prior to casting their ballot. Proper identification shall consist of any one of the following:

(1) A Georgia driver's license which was properly issued by the appropriate state agency;
(2) A valid voter identification card or other valid identification card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Georgia, any other state, or the United States authorized by law to issue personal identification containing a photograph;
(3) A valid United States passport;
(4) A valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, this state, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
(5) A valid United States military identification card containing a photograph of the elector;
(6) a valid tribal identification card containing a photograph of the elector

http://www.sos.georgia.gov/elections/Voting_information.htm

[grassfed]

5. African Americans, voting and jury duty

In the past, many jurisdictions only used voter rolls to select juries. This ensured that African Americans, who were prevented from registering to vote, could also be excluded from juries. Extensive case law has found this practice illegal. Now multiple sources are used to construct the jury pool.

If you're not registering to avoid jury duty, you can still be called through your driver's license, insurance and other documentation. Most jurisdictions use more than one source for jury list in order to obtain a greater balance for the jury pool.

PLEASE NOTE: It is a myth - meant to discourage African Americans from registering to vote - that voting or entering the jury pool opens a citizen to prosecution by the IRS, or for old tickets, alimony, or child support, etc.

[1Hippiechick]

23. Besides getting registered, contact your State Board of Elections and start asking questions .....

and ask for official state literature that addresses your concerns! I originally contacted local officials because my precinct was not set up to allow for voting in secrecy! :banghead: I would recommend skipping the local yokels and go straight to the State Board of Elections for your state BECAUSE the local yokel provided incorrect information and stated it as FACT.
I asked the following questions and received the following answers from the State Board of Elections in North Carolina AND attached to my e-mail response was a multi-page link with diagrams showing HOW precincts are to be set up based on size. Man, each time they responded to me, several more names were added to the cc. In NC, parties are allowed to have two representatives at each precinct, so it is not hard to mobilize locally and spread the word across each state. Just asking the questions and spreading the word puts the State Board of Elections on notice that SOMEbody had better get off their fat a$$ and see that the guidelines are followed, which they weren't here. ALSO, get involved with www.blackboxvoting.org. - there are state-by-state statistics there, some showing current voting problems and errors in the latest primaries.

Here is my e-mail to the SBE:

1) Prior to the polls opening for voting, are the poll/voting booth set-ups reviewed for logistics and to ensure voting in secrecy? Answer: This is the responsibility of the County Board of Elections. However, Precinct Judges are the on-site representatives of the CBE and have the initial control of the setup.

(2) Who is responsible for seeing that each precinct se set up to ensure voting in secrecy? In other words, who has oversight? Answer: See the answer to the first question.

(3) What access do political action committees have prior to the polls opening to review booth set up? Answer: None. Political action committees are campaign financing organizations that have no role in election administration. (My bad - I used incorrect terminology here - I meant to ask about concerned citizens groups)

(4) What is the procedure if it is discovered that polling booths have not been set up so as to ensure voting in secrecy? Answer: A person that has privacy concerns should make those concerns known to the Chief Precinct Judge at the precinct or the County Board of Elections.

(5) What is the ratio of # of voting booths to # of registered voters per precinct? Answer: There is a requirement to have a DRE iVotronic voting machine for every 250 registered voters at a precinct. (This is based on the type of lovely blackbox voting machines we use here.)

(6) Where do I get the information regarding # of registered voters in each precinct and # of voting booths in each precinct in order to ensure that this ratio is being met? Answer: The County Board of Elections. (I already knew that, but I wanted our local yokel who was copied on the e-mail to be put on notice.)

This election is too important NOT to put election boards across the country ON NOTICE that we are going to be watching to see that EVERY registered voter is afforded the opportunity to vote in secrecy and without intimidation, including seeing and documenting that there are sufficient numbers of machines(or whatever your precinct uses) per registered voters!
:kick:

[goclark]

39. We need to have a GOTV Forum at DU

If we don't GOTV and Have Those Votes Counted, we are nowhere.

Am I the only one here that sees the necessity for us supporting the Democratic Party in this way?

Maybe GOTV can replace the GD-Primary Forum

This thread has important information that should all be in one place.

[1Hippiechick]

40. Goclark, I'm a newbie to this particular messageboard. How does one go about doing this?

:kick:

[1Hippiechick]

26. PLEASE NOTE: It is a myth - meant to discourage African Americans from registering to vote

PLEASE NOTE: It is a myth - meant to discourage African Americans from registering to vote - that voting or entering the jury pool opens a citizen to prosecution by the IRS, or for old tickets, alimony, or child support, etc.

This needs to become it's own thread........
:kick:

[grassfed]

34. Please give it it's own thread

I've gotten too much flack for reposting my comments as OPs

[woolldog]

6. Where did this number come from?

[blonndee]

8. ***List of voter registration deadlines for all states here***

http://www.rockthevote.com/voting-is-easy/important-dates/

General Election Voter Registration Deadlines
Don't miss out. Find the voter registration deadlines for your state. If you have any questions, contact your local Board of Elections or Secretary of State.

State Voter Registration Deadline
Alabama Fri, Oct. 24
Alaska Sun, Oct. 5 (last day to postmark is Sat, Oct. 4)
Arizona Mon, Oct. 6
Arkansas Mon, Oct. 6
California Mon, Oct. 20
Colorado Mon, Oct. 6
Connecticut Tues, Oct. 21
Delaware Sat, Oct. 11
District of Columbia Mon, Oct. 6
Florida Mon, Oct. 6
Georgia Mon, Oct. 6
Hawaii Mon, Oct. 6
Idaho Register at Polls
Illinois Tues, Oct. 7
Indiana Mon, Oct. 6
Iowa Fri, Oct. 24
Kansas Mon, Oct. 20
Kentucky Mon, Oct. 6
Louisiana Mon, Oct. 6
Maine Tue, Oct. 21
Maryland Tue, Oct. 14
Massachusetts Wed, Oct. 15
Michigan Mon, Oct. 6
Minnesota Tue, Oct. 14
Mississippi Mon, Oct. 6
Missouri Wed, Oct. 8
Montana Mon, Oct. 6 (or same day at county elections office)
Nebraska Fri, Oct. 24 (mail by Fri, Oct. 17)
Nevada Tue, Oct. 14
New Hampshire Same Day
New Jersey Tues, Oct. 14
New Mexico Tues, Oct. 7
New York Fri, Oct. 10
North Carolina Fri, Oct. 10
North Dakota N/A
Ohio Mon, Oct. 6
Oklahoma Fri, Oct. 10
Oregon Tue, Oct. 14
Pennsylvania Mon, Oct. 6
Rhode Island Sat, Oct. 4
South Carolina Sat, Oct. 4
South Dakota Mon, Oct. 20
Tennessee Mon, Oct. 6
Texas Mon, Oct. 6
Utah Mon, Oct. 6 or in person Tue, Oct. 28
Vermont Wed, Oct. 29
Virginia Mon, Oct. 6
Washington Mon, Oct. 4 (or Mon, Oct. 20 in person)
West Virginia Wed, Oct. 15
Wisconsin Wed, Oct. 15 (or Mon, Nov. 3 at office)
Wyoming Can register at polls

[JMDEM]

9. Just go to their meetings

"Hi. I'm a friend of Bill, too. You need to register to vote."

[boppers]

25. *snort*

"I accept that my country has become unmanaged, and I need to vote."

:)

[deadmessengers]

10. I would also like to point out that Shrub won by 550,000 here in '04.

a 550,000 vote margin for a guy that was popular with the locals (inexplicably), had the fundie crowd fully behind him, had libertarians generally behind him, and was running against another white guy.

Georgia.
Is.
Flippable.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

21. Thank you

This is going to be Bob Barr's best state, and the minute Obama starts to pull away nationally, fundamentalist voters are going to get all Brutus and Cassius on McCain's ass.

He may not win it, but he can make John McCain's life into a living hell by forcing him to dump money into contesting it.

[bunnies]

12. I wonder about Louisiana as well.

Dont they have the highest AA population in the country?

[alteredstate]

13. 280,000 unregistered AA voters in South Carolina

We're doing voter registration drives every weekend.

[Carrieyazel]

14. You could register them all, and Obama still wouldn't take the state.

Georgia's white voters will come out of the woodwork to vote against an AA candidate.

Georgia's out of play.

[SeattleGirl]

15. Even so, registering as many AA's as possible is a good thing.

Hell, it's good for anyone to register to vote. Of course, I'd prefer that we had the majority of registered voters.....

[Captain Angry]

31. That's the right attitude.

Win or lose, people should know they can be part of the process.

[1Hippiechick]

41. ABSOLUTELY! The Voting Rights Act wasn't even legislated until the 60s.

We need to see that every eligible voter is registered to vote, regardless of party affiliation--which can change.
:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

16. You are calling All Georgia White Voters racists? Wow!

Are sick of you!

I'll be glad when you are gone!

[genna]

18. Which part of Georgia were you thinking north south or central?

Locally, I've been watching Georgia Gang (like DC's Capitol Gang) on a local FOX NEWS affliate to see whether they think Obama has a shot.

Bob Barr is still a very popular conservative here, some of these local elections might favor people coming out and voting for the Democratic ticket.

What is your GA frame of reference?

Georgia is conservative but they wanted Huckabee.

[Carrieyazel]

33. Lived in north GA for 6 years in the 90's, where I had found a job

in the property management business. From what I saw during that time, I can't see Obama having any shot in that state.

[genna]

35. I lived in GA for 4 years in the 90s in Atlanta.

I've moved back now.

The question is turn out. Will those areas outside of metropolitan Atlanta rally to the polls to counteract the ones within?

Yes, if they are organized.

Will Obama campaigning in GA overturn some local offices?

Yes.

I think there are enough transplants to Atlanta and enough native born Carters to counteract what is true in other parts of the state.

[Major Hogwash]

24. He might - McCain is not a candidate to get excited about.

No state is out of play this year - we're making history this year - all the old methods of predicting winners and margins have been thrown out.

If you had been following this primary season as close as some of us have been, you would have known that.

[beachmom]

30. I am white, live in GA, and voted for Obama in the primaries. Obama won 43% of the white vote here

in the primaries, where most of the party machine backed Clinton. I will acknowledge that a lot of racists live here, but if you take the AA vote plus us enlightened "latte drinking" white folk, subtract some Bob Barr votes from McCain, it is not IMPOSSIBLE. Unlikely, but McCain may need to spend some money here, and that is a good thing.

[Dawgs]

37. Thank you. Obama has a great shot here.

I'm sick of the former or non-Georgians that predict he won't win when they have no idea how this state is made up.

[Hippo_Tron]

32. Don't doubt it, but making McCain spend money on GOTV in Georgia would kill him

Obama could out-raise him 2 to 1. If McCain is spending money in Georgia that's money he's not spending in Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, etc.

That's how Bush got the edge on Kerry in 2004. He made Kerry spend time in New Jersey and Hawaii.

[kentuck]

36. Georgia has elected Democrats for Governor...

I think Zell Miller was elected as was Jimmy Carter? :-) But it seems to be a certain type of Democrat?

[SoCalDem]

42. Two words.. Bob Barr

:)

[sniffa]

17. Kick

We can do this.

[4themind]

19. Yes we can!-nt

[AllentownJake]

20. Home of Bob Barr

Yes Georgia is very much in play!

[Dawgs]

22. Did anyone here that Barr polled 8% in Georgia in a recent poll?

Georgia is very much in play. Take it from someone who lives here.

[Major Hogwash]

28. Yeah, we heered that.

LoL

Spell check police!

LoL

[Dawgs]

38. Geez!! Grow up.

What are you three years old?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

29. Rut Roh...

If you live in those states, please volunteer for voter registration drives this summer. Between Barr and a million-plus new voters, we could have the Democrats winning in southern states. With an African American candidate. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

[NatBurner]

43. texas is making a run for it

voter registration drive, copied & pasted:

One Million People in Houston are eligible to vote and are not registered!

Help Houston votes reach our goal to register 80,000 people in 2008.

Houston Votes is a non-profit, non-partisan group our mission is to register and provide voter assistance to residents of Houston and the surrounding areas.

We will be having a volunteer training and Marty Morrison will be here to deputize volunteers. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Join us and Make a difference today!

· Wednesday May 21, 2008

· 411 Cavalcade (near Fulton).

· 6:00 pm


Please RSVP to [e-mail]